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A partially edited and rather bland chapter today. Still needs a bit of elbow grease, but I’m posting it up now. If you catch any mistakes please point them out! Thanks for reading~
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Tenia and I enjoyed a rather bland lunch, all things considered. It was a hamburg steak covered in a thick gravy. The only real seasoning was salt and there was no vegetable or starch on the side. It tasted like something from a low level fast food place. It could have been worse, I guess. Still, I don’t think it was worth the Middle Mark they charged for it.
We decided to buy what spices we could while in town, but we could only find salt and a very weak type of pepper. Sugar, it seems, was horribly inflated at nearly a full High Mark for a small bag. I still bought some, though. I wanted to experiment with a few things. I was never much of a chef in my life before this whole ordeal, but I’m certain with a bit of practice I could get some simple recipes down.
We decided to pass up on visiting the Magician and Adventurer’s Guilds. While the idea of joining them and climbing the ranks filled me with excitement, the reality of the situation helped me keep my cool. I was a noble’s daughter right now. Fighting monsters and collecting herbs was a job better suited to servants like Tenia and Benson. If possible, I’ll have them go into town and join the Guilds on their own later.
Tenia and I, around the second afternoon bell, decided to head back towards our house. We had accomplished what we came into town for and, now that I had been given a small tour, we were both ready to meet up with Benson to discuss our next move.
For some reason Tenia demanded that we leave through the North side of town. I decided to trust her judgement. I wasn’t skilled enough to tell, but we were probably being followed by someone judging by her reaction. She also went through the trouble of casting a [Mist] spell to completely hide us as we ran into the forest.
I wasn’t sure if all of that was necessary, considering we’d lose the people when we hit my Repellent Runes eventually anyways, but there’s no harm in trusting her judgement here. I’m glad I brought her with me instead of Benson. He’d probably want to just fight the pursuers, and that could cause some sticky problems depending on who they were. After all, I don’t think a small town like this would have much of a criminal underbelly. We were probably being watched by that landowning noble… And I really wanted nothing to do with him if possible.
After running a few miles North, Tenia turned us eastward and we made our way home swift as the wind. When we reached the clearing the first thing I noticed was Benson play-wrestling with a giant half-bear half-dog creature. He was giggling like a child. Tenia and I just stared for a while as he was too absorbed in his little wrestling match to notice us.
I faked a cough.
“Mistress!” Cried Benson as he rolled the dog-bear off him and snapped to his feet, “You’re back early!”
“Who’s your friend, Benson?” I asked with a smirk.
“Ah, this is Poochi, the Lord of the Thrush.”
“By Lord of the Thrush, you mean he’s the boss of this entire woodland?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
“Yup. I beat him and his subordinates down fair and square when I went out hunting and, well, the guy took a liking to me. So he agreed to follow me.”
“Benson,” I said with a sigh, “I asked you not to do anything that could damage the ecosystems around here…”
“Ah, but I didn’t!” He replied with a smile. “I didn’t kill Poochi, I only roughed him up. Poochi is still the boss of the Thrush.”
“How did you end up fighting him in the first place?” Asked Tenia.
“Well, it seems Poochi and his gang were coming to find out what was going on with us, actually. Us suddenly appearing in his forest and forcing all the animals around our home away had them worried. But it’s all okay now.”
“Wait, can you speak with this creature?” I asked.
“Yes. I don’t know why but I can understand the language of most higher level monsters in this forest. I think it’s a benefit of my body’s race.”
“That’s… Actually kind of cool. My body’s race isn’t fully human too, I wonder if I have any strange benefits too,” I pondered aloud. “It’s unfortunate Tenia’s body is human through and through… Anyways, Benson, I need to talk with you and Tenia inside. Tell your friend you’ll play again some other time.”
Benson turned towards the dog-bear-thing and started speaking to it in soft growling noises. Then he pointed towards me and the growling intensified. The dog-bear nodded frantically in response before quickly turning and bounding away towards the treeline.
“What’d you tell him?” I asked as I started walking towards the house.
“I told him that you were the one I served under and that if a hair on your head was ever touched by a monster in this forest I’d personally wipe it from the map.”
“... That might be going a bit too far, Benson,” I replied with an awkward smile.
“I think it’s fine,” said Tenia, “It might be good to have the creatures of this forest leave us alone. It means we can replace our runes with stronger ones intended to purely stop human visitors instead.”
“Ah, that is a good idea,” I replied with a nod.
We walked into the house and Tenia set about making a different type of tea. Benson and I made ourselves comfortable in the sitting room. Tenia quickly returned with a rather sweet smelling beverage before taking a seat herself.
“Okay,” I said while taking out some items from my inventory, “first I want to give each of you 50 High Marks. And I want each of you to take about 100,000 ‘G’ into your inventories for use in emergency situations. It’s best to be prepared now in case something comes up where you need money. I have three receipts here for the currency exchange too. This will be good in case you ever need an official statement with the exchange rate on it in the future.”
“Mistress, is this really necessary? Can’t we just have you hold onto the money?” Asked Benson with a strange look on his face.
“No, Benson, I agree with Mistress’s decision here. We’ve been teleported once already. Who knows if it may happen again. What if we somehow end up separated? It would be most unfortunate to have no currency on you.”
“Exactly, Tenia,” I replied with a smile, “there’s no telling what might happen from here on out. It would give me peace of mind if I knew both of you were well taken care of… And that brings me to my next discussion point.”
I paused for a moment to think about the best way to word this. Eventually I concluded that being direct was the most appropriate manner.
“I want to go home. My mother and my friends are back in my old world waiting for me… I know neither of you really has a place to return to, so I won't ever force you to go back with me, but I’d appreciate it if you could help me in finding a way.”
There was a moment of stunned silence as both Benson and Tenia slowly absorbed my words.
“Mistress,” said Benson, breaking the silence, “I don’t ever want to return to that game world. Here I am alive. I desire to stay that way… But I will help you find a way back. I will be sad to see you leave, but, when it comes down to it, I value your wish to return over my own to serve you.”
Benson’s words were soft but still heartbreaking. He seemed genuinely hurt.
“I expected this,” said Tenia, “I will support your endeavor… Though I will miss you greatly when the time comes.”
“Thank you, thank you both,” I said as I rubbed my eyes. I seemed to have gotten some dust in them.
“But,” said Tenia with a soft smile, “if we cannot find a way back then I want you to at least try to enjoy your time here. Have the resolve to change what you can, and have the resolve to accept what you can’t.”
“Yes, I understand… But after seeing the unknown magic today I have resolved myself. What goes up must come down. If there was a way for us to be sent here, then there is a way for us to be sent back.”
“Such an argument is fallacy, Mistress, and you know it.”
“I know, Tenia, but I have hope. My first goal… Or I should say our first goal, will be to study the magic, fighting, and engineering of this world,” my voice started out weak but it slowly gained strength as I spoke. “This world seems to have evolved differently than Xternity did, in regards to magic and the like. Tenia, Benson, I want your help with this.”
“Of course, Mistress. What would you have me do?” Asked Tenia. Benson merely bowed his head.
“Benson, I want you to join the Adventurer’s Guild here and climb the ranks solo. You’re much too strong for them to ignore. It shouldn’t take you long to reach the upper echelons. The Adventurer’s Guild spans this entire continent. Infiltrate its upper brass and study their techniques and abilities.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Replied Benson.
“Tenia, I want you to join the Magician’s Guild. Show off some unique spells. Earn yourself a high ranking and find out how to learn more magic if possible. Most fantasy lands, in the stories I’ve read, have some kind of magic academy or something akin to it. If they have one I want you to join it. Find places that research about teleportation or space-time magic. Summoning magic might bear some fruits too.”
“Yes mistress… But what about you? We can’t both just leave you here on your own.”
“I wish to find a place to learn myself. I want to establish myself in town as a crafting expert. Surely there must be some kind of Guild or Organization for enchanters, alchemists, and smiths in this world. If I get my name known, then these organizations will come to me.”
“Mistress you misunderstand… We are both very powerful, but you aren’t strong in combat. What if someone targets your life? Just today, on our way back, we had three men tailing us. This world might not look kindly to some unknown Artisan making herself known like that. If something happens to you, then both Benson’s and my mission will be useless anyways… Please rethink this plan, Mistress.”
“I see your concern, Tenia… The thing is, I can’t just sit here at the house while both of you go out and do something.”
“If I may,” interupted Benson, “But I don’t think the inner circles of adventurers would have anything to do with what we’re looking for anyhow. I can stay by your side, mistress, while Tenia infiltrates places of magic research.”
“I’d be fine with that,” said Tenia with a smile, “As long as one of us is by your side, Mistress. Your safety is our number one concern. I’ll always prioritize your life over finding a way for you to get home.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
I was a bit taken aback by the stubbornness of the two. I wasn’t about to lock myself up in this house, but they didn’t seem like they’d very well let me go outside without one of them protecting me either. I was fine with having a bodyguard, but with only one of us searching the world at large for information it was possible we’d never find anything worthwhile. If we left out information from one of the largest organizations, the Adventurer’s Guild, then it’s possible we might miss out on the one necessary clue I needed to get home.
“What if,” I said with a sigh, “Benson and I both register as Adventurers. If we get our name known, we’ll spread a rumor that our equipment is all self made. Through that we might be able to rope other adventurers into buying some. I’m certain, with the quality of my own goods, my name will spread quickly that way.”
“That could work, but wouldn’t that require you to go into dangerous situations?” Asked Tenia.
“Are you implying I can’t protect our Mistress?” Asked Benson with a heavy tone. “I’m all for protecting her, but we can’t baby her at the same time. Even mother birds push their children from the nest when it’s time. You can’t just keep her here at the house. Think of her feelings, not just her life.”
There was a long pause as Tenia and Benson met each other’s stares. I was honestly flabbergasted by the whole situation. I didn’t think this discussion would be this hotly contested… Their personalities are quite a bit different from what I expected.
“Fine,” said Tenia after a while, “but if one hair on her head gets hurt Benson then we’re going to start doing things my way.”
“I can accept that,” replied Benson with a smile.
“Wait, what’s your way?” I asked.
“All three of us travel together. That would mean we’d form a three person party like back in the Game Days. With a spellcaster, a front line warrior, and a support mage we’d have a perfect balance.”
“It’d take so long to gather information that way. It’d be much faster if we split up,” I replied.
“I agree. But your safety is my first priority, Mistress,” said Tenia with a soft look in her eyes. “I owe you that much at least.”
“Fine.” I said while holding a hand to my temple. These two were willing to help me, after all. There was no point in arguing with the methods too much. “For now, we’ll go with Tenia infiltrating the Magician’s Guild and finding out any information she can get about teleportation or summoning magic. Benson and I will register as Adventurers and rank up quickly. We’ll spread word of my equipment and slowly transition into getting the attention of any kind of enchanters or alchemists in the world. Surely if there is a way to return home then it would be through some sort of magic spell, runic setup, potions, or enchantment. Perhaps all of them in tandem, even. Do you both agree with this game plan?”
“Yes,” both former NPCs said in unison.
“Then, tonight I’m going to craft a [Gate] here. I have enough of the necessary tools in my inventory to make one. Since this House is going to be our formal base of operations, I say we give it an official name. Do either of you two have any ideas?”
“How about November’s Cottage?” Asked Tenia. I shook my head ‘No’ immediately. She didn’t seem to be one with a naming sense, after all.
“What about ‘Journey’s End’ for a name? Since in between our adventures we’ll be coming back here to rest?” Asked Benson with a pensive look on his face.
“That’ll do,” I replied with a smile. “Journey’s End is now the name of our home. Let’s mark it down on the maps we’ve made… Oh, and eventually we need to start finding out more information about the rest of this continent. Our maps only cover a bit of land in the Northwest, apparently. This world is huge and, if we’re going to study magic, it’s best if we find out about the other regions. Tenia, can I leave that information gathering to you while Benson and I grind Adventurer Ranks?”
“I can handle that easily,” she replied with a glowering confidence in her eyes.
“Okay then. For this evening, I’m going to start working on the [Gate]. Benson, Tenia, I’ll head off now. You two seem to have some issues you need to work out so I’ll give you some privacy.”
With my two cents said, I made my way to my workshop. A [Gate] is a method of ‘fast travel’ in Xternity. I haven’t seen any information about fast traveling in the menu options I did have, so that leaves making [Gate]s the only method to quickly cross long distances. I don’t feel like running across the countryside to enjoy an evening in my house.
[Gate]s are typically engraved and enchanted doorways that anyone with a [Key], or an enchanted disk with the right runes on, can teleport to. They’re super convenient for Guild Halls which are usually located in strange areas. Not many people could make them back in Xternity and they required terribly hard to get resources. I was one of the few that could do it. By making a [Gate] we were able to set up entrances to lower levels in dungeons. It helped our players out greatly with their power leveling. It’s one of the reasons our Guild was so strong.
I set about pulling the required White Lodestone necessary to build the frame from my inventory. Using an adhesive potion and my [Mana Carve] spell I was able to shape the stones into a proper six foot tall and three foot wide doorway. [Mana Sanding] helped me quickly shape the stone and round out the corners.
I took my time as I worked because a single mistake would be terrible. I didn’t have much White Lodestone, and it was a very rare resource in the Xternity days. It could usually only be found deep in mountains where dragons lived, because their shed scales would turn white and seep into the rock around them. I didn’t feel like trying to find dragon nests in this world, considering the danger such a thing would present. Of course, dragons in Xternity were usually highly intelligent AIs and would often even barter White Lodestone for things if you were lucky. Most often, though, finding your party in dragon territory meant a wipe was coming. Only the strongest high level parties stood a chance in such endeavors.
I spent hours sanding and shaping the White Lodestone doorframe. I was excessively gentle and horribly concise. Several times I found my brow completely drenched with sweat. Thankfully, at those times, Tenia had come in with a wet towel to cool me off. She was terribly sweet when she wasn’t being creepily overprotective.
I hadn’t heard the discussion her and Benson had, but I did hear muffled angry words being thrown at one another. Their personalities seemed to be vastly different from what I expected… Honestly, it feels like they’re trying to hide that from me, too. Neither of them is a very good actor. I'm genuinely curious about them, though. They were NPCs in Xternity but now they were living breathing human beings! Err… Well, Benson is sort of a human being, but that’s besides the point. The sheer fact that they came to life was astounding enough for me… But I’m more amazed by their capacities. They’re vastly more intelligent than any freshly born being should be. If they really had just gained intelligence then shouldn’t they be more akin to children? Both of them seem far too well developed for that. It was strange, really. Where did their minds come from? They seemed far too well developed. They seemed far too… Human, if you will.
Pondering the subject was leading me to some awful tangents. I considered numerous things such as them being overly advanced AIs in the past to them being outright human beings. The Full Dive systems used could effectively be used to upload someone’s consciousness to the internet after all… Well, that person would have to literally be hooked up to the system in a forced manner though. The headset I used worked by intercepting and replacing brain signal input and outputs. Once the system disconnected you’d simply stop having the interference and your brain would communicate normally with your body again. If, say, someone’s brain was put in a jar and hooked up to such a system they could theoretically have their consciousness uploaded to the internet…
I know, such thoughts are silly and sound like the plot of some bad horror story… Stranger things have happened, though. I’m proof of that! I’m stuck in a woman’s body in a fantasy world, after all.
I finished sanding and shaping the [Gate]. It was coming along well. The next step was to carve the enchantments into it. This was the longest and most gruelling part of the work. Still, it was oddly enjoyable. Using a chisel and hammer, I slowly etched flowing patterns into the stone. I carefully constructed the enchantment. It was long and tiresome, but it was rewarding. Working the stone with my hands filled me with an incredible sensation. It was far more enjoyable than anything I ever did in the game of Xternity. There was such a difference between simulated carving in the game world and actually feeling the tools and stone dust in your hands.
In that euphoric trance, I completed my work at a pace almost unheard of. I finished the [Gate] in seven hours. It was easily a world record in the days of Xternity.
The final touch, pouring the activation potion, would wait until we set the [Gate] up and reinforced it. It would be a waste to have the liquid leak out in transit, after all.
Benson and Tenia both helped me move the stone door frame into the yard. We used a potion to make a stone landing out of the dirt and then reinforced everything with potions and spells. Finally, we set the door in place and reinforced it too.
With the skill of a master, I began pouring the activation potion into the carved grooves. It slowly snaked around the doorway’s frame and resembled the branching of a bare tree in winter. When it finished I pulled out one of the [Key]s and poured magic into it. Suddenly my vision shifted and I found myself stepping out of the doorway that had just been in front of me.
It was a success.
It’s worth noting all my old [Key]s from the Xternity days had lost their magic charge, meaning they were no longer connected to the [Gate]s. If they had worked I’d already be home, of course.
I made five copies of the [Key] and gave Tenia and Benson one. With this in place, we will always have the ability to return to Journey’s End to rest.
My grin ran from ear to ear as I returned to the house to enjoy a meal with my friends. The inside of the house was freshly cleaned, courtesy of Tenia, and I found my eyes growing weary. Once I finished my meal, I made my way upstairs and changed into my nightwear. I don’t even remember climbing into the bed to sleep. It had been a long day.